1. (a) Day of release.

   1. (1) Incarcerated persons, except as otherwise provided by applicable law and regulations, shall be released on their scheduled release date. Incarcerated persons shall not be retained beyond their discharge date.

2. (b) Release Instructions.

   1. (1) Notification of registration requirements:

      1. (A) An incarcerated person required to register pursuant to Penal Code sections 186.30, 290, or 457.1, or Health and Safety Code section 11590 shall be notified of the requirement before being released from custody.
      2. (B) Such incarcerated persons shall complete a SS Form 8047, Notice of Registration Requirement, acknowledging notification of the requirement.

   2. (2) Reporting instructions for incarcerated persons being released to parole, except for incarcerated persons released to non-revocable parole as provided in section 3505:

      1. (A) The CDCR Form 611, Release Program Study (RPS) (Rev. 07/24), located in SOMS, which is incorporated by reference; the automated Notice and Conditions of Parole (NOC) (Rev. 07/22), which is incorporated by reference, the automated Special Conditions of Parole (SCOP) (Rev. 04/19), which is incorporated by reference, and reporting instructions, shall be explained to the incarcerated person at least 45 days before their scheduled release to parole or, if less than 45 days remain as a result of a change in the incarcerated person's legal status, as soon as possible.
      2. (B) The CDCR Form 611 shall specify a date, time, place and official to whom a newly released incarcerated person shall report.
      3. (C) Supervised persons designated as the highest control or highest risk classification shall report to their assigned parole unit on the first working day following release or within two calendar days from release, as instructed by a parole agent. Under no circumstances shall supervised persons designated as the highest control or highest risk classification be granted a delay in reporting to their assigned parole unit.

      4. (D) Authorized delay in reporting for cases not designated as the highest control or highest risk classification.

         1. 1. Any delay in reporting to an assigned parole unit upon release from incarceration shall be case conferenced with a unit supervisor for approval. Supervised persons released from incarceration shall report to their assigned parole unit and any delay in reporting shall only be approved in extenuating circumstances, on a case-by-case basis, when the circumstances surrounding the release prevents the supervised person from reporting in a timely manner and are beyond their control (e.g., supervised person cannot report to the assigned parole unit as instructed due to the distance between the release location and the assigned parole unit). The unit supervisor should only authorize the amount of time reasonably necessary to allow the supervised person to report to the assigned parole unit. Under no circumstances shall the delay in reporting be authorized for more than seven calendar days from the supervised person's scheduled reporting date.

   3. (3) Notice and conditions of parole requirements, except for incarcerated persons released to non-revocable parole.

      1. (A) Prior to any parole proceeding, the parole agent shall complete the CDCR Form 2289 (Rev. 07/24), Notice and Request for Assistance During a Parole Proceeding, which is incorporated by reference, and verify any known disabilities that may require a reasonable accommodation or modification during a parole proceeding by reviewing case documents and CDCR databases.
      2. (B) The automated NOC and, if applicable, the automated SCOP shall be interpreted or otherwise effectively communicated to all supervised persons.
      3. (C) The parole agent shall request the supervised person to sign a printed copy of the automated NOC, and a printed copy of the automated SCOP (if applicable), after explaining the form(s) to the supervised person. If the supervised person refuses to sign the NOC or SCOP, the parole agent shall attempt to resolve the issue. If the supervised person continues to refuse to sign the NOC or SCOP, the parole agent shall note the refusal in the signature block of the NOC or SCOP and advise the supervised person that the conditions of parole are imposed regardless of the signature.
      4. (D) If an interstate cooperative supervised person, as defined in section 3000, refuses to sign conditions of parole, this shall be considered behavior requiring retaking and reported to the state from which the supervised person was sent, with a recommendation that the supervised person be returned to the sending state.
      5. (E) Any special conditions of parole imposed by the department shall be related to the incarcerated person's commitment offense or to conduct that may reasonably lead to future criminal behavior.

      6. (F) When a department-imposed special condition no longer applies to a supervised person, a unit supervisor or higher level staff may remove or modify any but the following department-imposed special conditions:

         1. 1. A prohibition on the use of alcoholic beverages pursuant to Penal Code section 3053.5.
         2. 2. A requirement to participate in psychiatric treatment, unless behavioral health reintegration staff have recommended, in writing, that the treatment be discontinued.
      7. (G) Within five days after verbally requiring or prohibiting specific behavior of a supervised person, staff shall give the supervised person written confirmation of such instructions.

   4. (4) Notice of non-revocable parole requirements:

      1. (A) Incarcerated persons who are approved for non-revocable parole shall have an automated NOC and, if applicable, an automated SCOP effectively communicated to them at least 45 days prior to their scheduled release to parole, or as soon as possible if less than 45 days prior to release remain. The automated NOC and the automated SCOP shall document the incarcerated person's understanding of requirements including, but not limited to, the following:

         1. 1. Return to the county of last legal residence prior to incarceration pursuant to Penal Code 3003(a).
         2. 2. Obligation to register with local law enforcement as ordered by law.
         3. 3. Obligation to pay outstanding restitution balances while on non-revocable parole.
         4. 4. Search and seizure requirements pursuant to Penal Code section 3067.

   5. (5) Reporting instructions and notice of conditions of release for incarcerated persons released to Postrelease Community Supervision as provided in section 3079:

      1. (A) The CDCR Form 611 (Rev. 07/24), Release Program Study; and the CDCR Form 1515-CS (Rev. 07/24), Notice and Conditions of Postrelease Community Supervision, which is incorporated by reference, and any additional reporting instructions or conditions received by the supervising county shall be explained to the incarcerated person at least 45 days before their scheduled release date or, if less than 45 days remain as a result of a change in the incarcerated person's legal status, as soon as possible.
      2. (B) The CDCR Form 611 shall specify, at minimum, a place and official to whom a newly released incarcerated person shall report.

3. (c) Release Clearances.

   1. (1) Before release, an incarcerated person shall be provided a CDC Form 162 (Rev. 1/66), Release Clearance, to obtain the signature indicating the release clearance of the facility officials as designated thereon, and return the form to the facility's receiving and release office.
   2. (2) The original CDC Form 122 (Rev. 12/85), Property Receipt-Release, which is completed by receiving and release staff, shall be provided to the incarcerated person before release.
   3. (3) At the time of release, the incarcerated person shall be presented a CDCR Form 102 (Rev. 08/24), Release Statement, which is hereby incorporated by reference, to sign acknowledging receipt of any California identification card, medical card, debit card with terms and conditions, instructional flyer, cash, check(s), or transportation voucher, and clothing, or any combination thereof. Failure by the incarcerated person to sign the CDCR Form 102 shall not be justification for withholding either the incarcerated person's release allowance or any trust account funds, as described in subsections 3075.2(d) and 3075.2(d)(1).

4. (d) Release Allowances.

   1. (1) A release allowance is a sum of money intended for the rehabilitative purpose of assisting in an incarcerated or supervised person's reintegration into society, and shall only be provided to an incarcerated or supervised person who is released from a CDCR Institution or Community Correctional Facility to the direct supervision of a parole agent in the community, is placed on non-revocable parole, is released to Post-release Community Supervision, is released to an alternative custody program pursuant to 15 CCR § 3078, et seq., is released upon completion of a term of imprisonment to local law enforcement as a result of a detainer or hold, is released to the custody and supervision of the Department of State Hospitals, is released to a detainer or hold pursuant to commitment proceedings as a sexually violent predator (Welfare and Institutions Code, Article 4, Section 6600), or is discharged from the jurisdiction of the CDCR. Except as stipulated below, incarcerated or supervised persons shall receive the release funds specified in Penal Code (PC) Section 2713.1, for six months or more served in a CDCR Institution or Community Correctional Facility. Incarcerated or supervised persons serving less than six months in a CDCR Institution or Community Correctional Facility shall be given a prorated daily rate for each day, or fraction of a day, in custody up to the amount specified in PC 2713.1 utilizing the formula:

      1. (A) Release funds per the amount specified in PC 2713.1 divided by 182.5 days (six months) equals the daily rate rounded to two decimal places.
      2. (B) If required, release clothing and transportation from the institution or Community Correctional Facility to the nearest public transportation hub shall not be denied.
      3. (C) Cost of state-provided release clothing and transportation shall not be deducted from the release allowance.
   2. (2) Supervised persons who willfully abscond shall forfeit any remaining release allowance otherwise due to them. Supervised persons placed in custody and released from county jail as a result of a parole violation are not eligible for CDCR release allowance.
   3. (3) A release allowance shall not be provided to an incarcerated person released to the custody of the federal government or another state unless the incarcerated person is released from custody and available for parole supervision in California or a state under the interstate compact (Article 3 (commencing with Section 11175) and Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 11180) of Chapter 2 of Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code)). Incarcerated persons released to the custody and supervision of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and awaiting a deportation hearing date are not entitled to receive a release allowance.
   4. (4) Incarcerated persons erroneously received into CDCR and ultimately transferred back to the county jail to serve county jail commitment pursuant to PC Section 1170(h), are not eligible to receive a release allowance.

   5. (5) If an incarcerated person is eligible for a release allowance pursuant to PC section 2713.1, the department shall give the incarcerated person an option of receiving the release allowance on a debit card or a check, except in the situations listed in subsection 3075.2(d)(5)(A), where a debit card is not a viable option. In situations where a debit card is a viable option, the incarcerated person shall be notified of the option of debit card or check at least ten (10) business days before release. If it is not possible to notify the incarcerated person at least 10 business days before release due to a changed release date, the incarcerated person shall be notified as soon as the changed date is determined. The incarcerated person shall make the selection at the time of notification. If the incarcerated person does not select a disbursement option, the release allowance shall be issued by check(s).

      1. (A) The following are circumstances where the debit card option is not viable and a check shall be required:

         1. 1. When an incarcerated person is being released to a community program or when an incarcerated person is being released to a detainer where the receiving facility or program does not accept debit cards for deposit into a trust account for use at that facility or program.
         2. 2. When an incarcerated person has transferred out of an institution and is participating in a community program where the vendor or contracted facility will be providing a portion of the release allowance upon the incarcerated person's completion of the program.
         3. 3. When an incarcerated person is unable to make a choice due to a medical condition.
         4. 4. When an exonerated person has not made the choice of debit card or check prior to discharge.
         5. 5. When the debit card provider restricts or denies the issuance of a debit card to an incarcerated person.

5. (e) Trust Account Balance.

   1. (1) Trust account balances may be issued via debit card if an account balance is equal to or less than the debit card limit, regardless of the option selected for the release allowance.

      1. (A) If an incarcerated person chooses the option of having the release allowance issued via debit card, per Section 3075.2(d)(5), and the total of the incarcerated person's trust account balance combined with the release allowance is within the debit card limit, the department may disburse the trust account balance and the release allowance on the same debit card.
      2. (B) If the total of the trust account balance combined with the release allowance exceeds the debit card limit, the trust account balance shall be disbursed by check. A trust account balance shall be disbursed as a lump sum amount and cannot be split into two different types of disbursements.

6. (f) Transportation Arrangements.

   1. (1) An incarcerated person's transportation upon release shall be arranged by the facility, unless a private party has contacted the facility at least three days before the incarcerated person's scheduled release, has offered to provide transportation, and the facility has approved the arrangement.

7. (g) Exonerated Persons.

   1. (1) Release allowances and trust account balances for exonerated persons being discharged from an institution shall be processed as described in section 3075.2(d)(5).
   2. (2) Release allowances and trust account balance for exonerated persons being discharged from a court, along with any other payments as specified in PC section 3007.05, shall be issued by check.
   3. (3) The CDCR Form 102 (Rev. 08/24), Release Statement, Section I, shall have the Exonerated checkbox marked.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 2713.1, 3000.03, 5058 and 5058.3, Penal Code. Reference: Sections 186.30, 290, 457.1, 1168, 1170, 1170.05, 2713.1, 2901, 2962, 3007.05, 3053.5, 3060.7, 3067, 3450, 3452, 3453, 3454, 5054, 11175, 11176 and 11180, Penal Code; Sections 6600, 6601 and 6604, Welfare and Institutions Code; 12 CFR 1005.10(e)(2); and Sabatasso v. Superior Court (2008) 167 Cal. App. 4th 791, 797.

History

1. New section filed 6-27-94; operative 7-27-94 (Register 94, No. 26).

2. Amendment of subsections (d) and (d)(1), new subsections (d)(2) and (d)(7), repealer of subsection (d)(4), subsection renumbering, amendment of newly designated subsection (d)(3)(C) and amendment of Note filed 1-21-2003; operative 2-20-2003 (Register 2003, No. 4).

3. Amendment of section and Note filed 1-25-2010 as an emergency pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3(a)(2); operative 1-25-2010 (Register 2010, No. 5). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3(c), a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 7-6-2010 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

4. Certificate of Compliance as to 1-25-2010 order transmitted to OAL 6-17-2010 and filed 7-13-2010 (Register 2010, No. 29).

5. New subsections (d)(8)-(d)(8)(B) and amendment of Note filed 9-27-2011 as an emergency; operative 9-27-2011 (Register 2011, No. 39). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3, a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 3-5-2012 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

6. Certificate of Compliance as to 9-27-2011 order transmitted to OAL 2-3-2012; Certificate of Compliance withdrawn 3-19-2012 (Register 2012, No. 12).

7. New subsections (d)(8)-(d)(8)(B) and amendment of Note refiled 3-19-2012 as an emergency; operative 3-19-2012 (Register 2012, No. 12). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3, a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 6-18-2012 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

8. Amendment of subsections (b)(2)-(b)(2)(B), new subsections (b)(5)-(b)(5)(C) and amendment of subsections (d) and (d)(2) and Note filed 6-26-2012 as an emergency; operative 6-26-2012 (Register 2012, No. 26). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3, a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 12-3-2012 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

9. Reinstatement of section as it existed prior to 3-19-2012 emergency amendment by operation of Government Code section 11346.1(f) (Register 2012, No. 28).

10. New subsections (d)(8)-(d)(8)(B) and amendment of Note filed 9-13-2012 as an emergency; operative 9-13-2012 (Register 2012, No. 37). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3, a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 2-20-2012 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

11. Certificate of Compliance as to 6-26-2012 order, including further amendment of subsections (b)(2)(A) and (b)(5)(A), repealer of subsection (b)(5)(C) and amendment of Note, transmitted to OAL 11-5-2012 and filed 12-20-2012 (Register 2012, No. 51).

12. Certificate of Compliance as to 9-13-2012 order transmitted to OAL 1-11-2013 and filed 2-25-2013 (Register 2013, No. 9).

13. Change without regulatory effect amending subsections (d)(4)(C), (d)(5) and (d)(7) filed 3-11-2013 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2013, No. 11).

14. Amendment of subsection (b)(2)(A) filed 2-6-2014 as an emergency; operative 2-6-2014 (Register 2014, No. 6). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3, a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 7-16-2014 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

15. Certificate of Compliance as to 2-6-2014 order, including amendment of subsection (b)(2)(A), transmitted to OAL 7-16-2014 and filed 8-27-2014; amendments effective 8-27-2014 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(b)(3) (Register 2014, No. 35).

16. Amendment of section and Note filed 6-14-2018; operative 10-1-2018 (Register 2018, No. 24).

17. Amendment of section and Note filed 2-25-2019; operative 4-1-2019 (Register 2019, No. 9).

18. Amendment of subsections (b)(2)(A) and (b)(3)(A) filed 4-9-2019; operative 7-1-2019 (Register 2019, No. 15).

19. Amendment of subsections (c)(1) and (c)(3), new subsections (f)-(f)(3) and amendment of Note filed 10-8-2020; operative 1-1-2021 (Register 2020, No. 41).

20. Amendment of subsection (c)(3), repealer and new subsection (d)(3), new subsections (d)(3)(A)-(d)(3)(B), amendment of subsection (f), repealer and new subsection (f)(1), new subsection (f)(2), repealer of subsection (f)(3), subsection renumbering and amendment of Note filed 6-28-2022 as an emergency; operative 6-28-2022 (Register 2022, No. 26). Pursuant to Penal Code section 5058.3, a Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 12-5-2022 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.

21. Amendment of subsections (b)(1)(A) and (b)(2)(A), new subsection (b)(3)(A), subsection relettering, amendment of newly designated subsections (b)(3)(B)-(C) and (b)(3)(F)1.-2., amendment of subsection (b)(4)(A) and amendment of Note filed 7-8-2022; operative 10-1-2022 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(a) (Register 2022, No. 27). Filing deadline specified in Government Code section 11349.3(a) extended 60 calendar days pursuant to Executive Order N-40-20 and an additional 60 calendar days pursuant to Executive Order N-71-20.

22. Certificate of Compliance as to 6-28-2022 order transmitted to OAL 11-4-2022 and filed 12-20-2022 (Register 2022, No. 51).

23. Change without regulatory effect repealing subsections (d)(4)-(d)(4)(B) filed 9-8-2023 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2023, No. 36).

24. Change without regulatory effect amending section filed 7-1-2024 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2024, No. 27).

25. Change without regulatory effect amending subsections (b)(3)(D) and (b)(4)(A) filed 3-5-2025 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2025, No. 10).

26. Amendment of section and Note filed 6-17-2025; operative 10-1-2025 (Register 2025, No. 25).